Large off-the-road vehicles, such as dump trucks and construction vehicles, are subjected to extreme road conditions including rough roads, exposed sharp edged rocks, wood pieces, and shrubs. Such tires are typically provided with multiple layers of steel belts to provide for strength, penetration and cut resistance wherein the top belts of a given construction in the tire are considered the “protective” belts for the underlying working belts of the tire. Typical cord constructions in the steel belt layers include 7×7, 4×2, and 3×7.
In recent years, with the availability of higher strength steels for making tire cords, cords are being developed to manufacture smaller or simpler, high strength constructions for weight and cost savings. The greater strength provided by these cords is desirable; however, the smaller cords may lead to reduced cut resistance of the tire.